VHS : White Balloon [1995]

Rating: - Another gem from Iran
Set in Tehran this simple and enchanting film is testament to the power of cinema. There is no need for special effects, fancy editing, big stars or even complicated storylines. This movie completely engrosses you as it transports you to a child's perspective and you become as heart set on buying that goldfish as the little girl in the film is.
It will take you back to when you were a child and really little things meant a great deal. Not to mention the frustration children feel when adults are too busy to listen to them or care about their troubles.
The non professional cast are utterly believable to the point where it feels like a documentary, coupled with the fact it is shot in real time.

Fans of neo-realist Italian classics such as The Bicycle Thieves will find alot to love in this film. It has that same feeling of a simple story turned into a tense and engrossing mission.
A must see!

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Rating: - A wonderful story about a simple wish
As one reviewer already said, this film opens up a completely different side of a part of the world most of us hardly know. It leaves us with the feeling that deep down we all have the same needs and suffer the same trials, no matter how trivial they may seem to uninterested outsiders.

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Rating: - Good, but pretty tedious.
This is a good film, but one that really isn't that interesting. In its simplest terms, it's the story of a small girl who loses a large sum of money down a cellar vent and tries to get it back.
It's got some good camerawork and the feel of the film is very raw, and for me in that respect - genuine. But the fact is that it's a pretty tedious story and whilst the plight of the girl is sad, it's really not that gripping.
A film with a simple storyline is not necessarily a masterpiece, as is sometimes posited and this felt more akin to watching some obscure reality TV; some things happened, some people walked past, there were some conversations, the end.
Would I see the film again, or recommend people to watch it (given the proliferation of other films out there)? No.

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Rating: - A heartwarming, lovely slice of life
It's wonderful to find a film that requires only
acting of the highest order and a plot so simple and yet capable of inducing climax...will they get the money? Will she get her fish?
A brilliant, engaging film from a part of the world that we don't get to see much of, except for
all the wrong reasons.

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Rating: - A truffle of innocence, flavoured with a little empathy.
If films were like chocolates then this would indeed be a truffle. It's content is a wonderfully whipped mixture of childhood and drama, at the centre of which is a sweet little gem of an actress. The characters are wholly believable and interesting and although it is in Farsi somehow this does not distance you from the experiences on screen. We all know that a child's world is fascinating, but rarely do we enter it in a way that this film allows. You will not just feel the emotions of how important a goldfish can be, but also feel the anticipation that most have not felt since they were six. Enjoy this morsel of empathy!!!